Adopt

Ivessa

Ivessa standing

Ivessa is a beautiful 16-year-old Friesian mare who stands approximately 16 hands tall. She was rescued from a terrible neglect and hoarding situation. When Ivessa arrived in June 2025, she was suffer…

Courage

Courage is available for adoption

Courage is an incredible example of strength, resilience, and beauty. This six-year-old Standardbred gelding has overcome tremendous physical challenges after suffering severe neglect for much of his …

Hank

Hank is available for adoption

Hank is a 26-year-old Quarter Horse gelding with the sweetest old-soul personality. At this stage in his life, Hank isn’t looking for a busy schedule—he’s looking for a peaceful place to c…

Hombre

Hombre is ready for adoption with trainer

Hombre is a 21-year-old Mustang gelding looking for his forever home. Since arriving at The Dorset Equine Rescue, we’ve taken things slowly, giving him the time he needed to settle in, decompress, a…

Eve

Eve is available for adoption - facing front

Eve is officially available for adoption! She continues to impress all of us with how well she is doing in her training evaluation. She is a kind, easy mare who truly seems to appreciate having a job.…

Wick

Wick is a charming 15-year-old Morgan gelding standing at approximately 14.3 hands. He is available as a companion horse and would make a wonderful addition to a peaceful herd. Due to an ol…

Stemma

Stemma - horse for adoption

Stemma is a very beautiful and sweet Thoroughbred mare who stands approximately 16 hands tall. She is 15 years old and has good ground manners, loves attention and is good for the veterinarian and fa…

Success Stories

Avery

horse available for adoption

Avery is a beautiful Haflinger gelding who was rescued from slaughter in 2019 as an eight year old. He had a locking stifle which improved significantly with rehabilitation. He didn’t have much …

Duke

adopted horse

We rescued Duke from slaughter in December 2019 as a 12 year old. He was extremely anxious and forward under saddle at first, but with consistent training he made a lot of progress and began to rel…

Fred

mini horse available for adoption

We rescued Fred along with three other mini’s from a local neglect situation in 2016. All four were stallions and had foundered. Their hooves were very long and they were very afraid of people due t…

Aranda

rescued mini horse

Aranda is a miniature Appaloosa mare who stands about 36” tall. She came from auction in 2019 as a 7-8 year old with her buddy Patches. She was with us for about a year before getting adopted into h…

Patches

rescued mini horse

Patches is a lovely miniature horse mare who came to us in 2019 as an 18 year old. She is very friendly and stands 38” tall. She was born with a stifle issue and she walks slightly bowlegged b…

Cassidy

Cassidy was an unwanted small Welsh pony who arrived with us as a 13 year old in the winter of 2019. We quickly learned she was safe for kids and had a very sweet personality. Cassidy wasn’t with us…

Holly

We rescued Holly from a kill-pen in the winter of 2019 as a four year old. We named Holly after our friend Holly who created a fundraiser for us to assist use with rescuing this mare. She wasn’t wit…

Zipper

Zipper is available for adoption as a companion horse and is searching for his special person. He came to us a year and a half ago as an owner surrender after his owner passed away, who Zipper had bee…

Sadie

sadie horse available for adoption

Sadie came to us in 2018 through law enforcement due to a neglect case. She was just 4 years old and was a body score of 3. Her hooves had not been trimmed in a very long time, and quite possibly had…

Montauk

Montauk arrived at The Dorset Equine Rescue in December of 2017 after his owner unexpectedly passed away. He quickly bonded with another horse that had already been with us for a couple of years named…

Memphis

Memphis arrived with his mother Apache in the summer of 2017. They were both owner surrenders. Memphis was adopted in March of 2018 along with his buddy Nipster. We are thrilled that he and his buddy …

Tess

Tess arrived with us in January of 2018 as a four year old. She and another horse, Sadie were part of a neglect case and were seized by law enforcement. They were both very underweight and neither had…

Twister

Twister was a local owner surrender who arrived with us in the summer of 2017. He wasn’t with us long before he was adopted. He is now a companion to Barney (now known as Lovebug) who was adopte…

Apache

Apache is a very beautiful and gentle horse who arrived with when she was 18 years old as an owner surrender in the summer of 2017 along with her colt Memphis. She gave birth to Memphis on a trailer…

Foster

We rescued Foster when we outbid a kill buyer at an auction in the spring of 2017. We also outbid a kill buyer for another horse at the same auction who we named Sheila. They were named in memory of a…

Maggie

Maggie arrived with us as a 6 year old with her son Nipster in the summer of 2017. They were both well cared for but were surrendered due to their owner having a serious illness. Maggie was adopted in…

Nipster

Nipster was a two year old when he arrived with us along with his mother Maggie as owner surrenders. They arrived in the summer of 2017. Nipster has a kind personality and loves attention. He was adop…

Sally and Lucy

Sally and Lucy are an adorable mother and daughter pair of miniature donkeys. Sally is the mother and is the lighter colored donkey. She is five years old and Lucy is two years old. They were a local …

Turtle

Turtle was a local owner surrender who arrived with us in Spring of 2017. Even though he is blind in one eye, he was very trusting and was always willing to go out for a trail ride and be handled and …

Cookie Dough & Macaroni

Cookie Dough and Macaroni arrived with us in March of 2017 after we rescued them out of a kill pen. They both are extremely friendly and love lots of attention. They were adopted out on June of 2017. …

India (Indy)

India came to us as a scared and completely unhandled yearling filly who we saved from slaughter in February 2017. She had come into a kill pen with a group of 8 young horses. We only had room and fu…

Orion

Orion is a beautiful 15.1 hand, 7 year old gelding who was slaughter-bound when rescued. He arrived with us in the winter of 2016/2017. He has a young and lively personality. Orion has an old injury…

Luna

Luna is a 16 year old beautiful flea bitten grey quarter horse mare. She has a very sweet personality and loves to stand to be groomed. She is good for the vet and Farrier and great with other horses.…

Jaks

Jaks is a 10 year old appendix gelding who was owned by a kill buyer and about to ship to slaughter and we pulled him. He has been with us since August 2016. He was very underweight when he came to us…

Ferdinand

Ferdinand is a thoroughbred gelding and arrived at DER in August of 2016 as a four year old. He had been raced several times and won a couple of races. When he stopped running as fast, he found himsel…

Barney

Barney was one of four neglected stallions who arrived with us in March of 2016. They were a local owner surrender and very feral. We had them gelded right away and trimmed their feet long feet while …

Fred

We rescued Fred along with three other mini’s from a local neglect situation in 2016. All four were stallions and had foundered. Their hooves were very long and they were very afraid of people d…

Manning

Manning was rescued when he was 6 years old from shipped to slaughter back in December 2015. He was very sick with pneumonia and very underweight when he arrived at DER. But after a few visits from …

Piper

Piper is a three year old gelding that is 13 hands. He was recently adopted by someone who can give him his forever home.

Jack

Jack (shown right) and his mother Ruby were rescued in the spring with the help of Spring Hill Horse Rescue. They were full and asked if we had room to take them. They were trapped inside an old campe…

Duke

Duke (left) and Daisy

Duke (left) was rescued along with his sister Daisy. The photo taken at his rescue (below) was taken in the spring of 2012. You can see how skinny he was by the bones on his face, even showing through…

Daisy

Daisy Success Story

Daisy (left) first came to us with her brother Duke from a neglect case in the spring of 2012. The “after” photo was taken about 6 months later (August 2012). She has come such a long way! She was…

Bella

Bella in her new home

Bella was rescued in the early Summer of 2015 because she was owned by a kill buyer and was scheduled for slaughter. Ten years old at the time of rescue, Bella was adopted in the fall and is doing…

Ollie

Ollie Success Story

Ollie was rescued in the early Summer of 2015 because he was owned by a kill buyer and was scheduled for slaughter. Three years old at the time of rescue, Ollie was adopted in the fall and is doing …

Sarge

Sarge - Success Story

Sarge came to us in August 2014 from an auction in New York where he was bound for slaughter. He came to us very scared, due to him not having his full sight. After he was examined by the vet we learn…

Coco

Coco Success Story

Coco was rescued in June of 2014 from a known kill-buyer in PA. He is an 18 year old pony with a wonderfully sweet personality. He was adopted by a wonderful family in CT and is now called Spirit an…

Walter

Walter in new home

March 2015 Update – Walter (above left) found his new forever home in Massachusetts where he lives with his new equine friend Ace! It was very hard to say goodbye but we know his new owner Rebecca…

Champ

Champ came to DER in 2014 as a ten year old when we rescued him from slaughter. He was adopted into a perfect home in NH in 2017 where he lives with his two horse buddies.

Lorelei

Lorelei Success Story

Lorelei came to us in June, 2014 from a known kill buyer in PA. She was very underweight, was missing a lot of hair, and was having trouble eating (pocketing her food in her cheeks). After a full vet…

Rain

Rain

Rain was rescued in August of 2015 at an auction where we outbid a “kill buyer” for her to prevent her from shipping to Canada for slaughter. She was only at our rescue for four short mont…

Pike

Pike and his friend Violet were rescued soon after they both lost their mothers due to severe neglect. Violet was just two months old and very scared. Pike, being just a few months older, looked after…

Violet

Violet

We rescued Violet in August of 2014 when she was two months old from a local cruelty case. She tragically lost her mother due to severe neglect. She was at The Dorset Equine Rescue for two years and h…

Lady

Lady has been with us for a couple of years and we are very excited that she was finally been adopted in the spring of 2018. Her best buddy Montauk is also getting adopted along with her. We couldn’…

Ireland

Ireland came to us in the Spring of 2015 when she was three years old. She was in a kill pen and in danger of shipping to slaughter. Ireland was very ill when she came to us and clearly had an extreme…

Dixie

We outbid a kill buyer for Dixie in the summer of 2015 so she wouldn’t ship to slaughter. When we’re at an auction trying to decide which horses to save, it can be a very tough decision wh…

Buttercup

Buttercup

Buttercup is a sweet and beautiful 15-year-old buckskin mare who we purchased in August of 2015 from a known kill buyer. She was literally standing on a scale getting weighed after the auction, about …

Nash

Nash with Lorelei

Nash came to the rescue in June of 2014 after he was seized by animal control due to neglect and severe malnutrition. He was about 400 pounds underweight and we are still working to increase his wei…

Ruby

Ruby and her foal Jack were rescued in the spring with the help of Spring Hill Horse Rescue. They were kept in a pop-up camper for nearly 6 months, completely neglected. Jack was just a new born when …

Morgan

Morgan was rescued from shipping to slaughter from NY in the fall of 2014. She’s was adopted in the summer of 2016 and lives with her new mom in southern VT.

The Dorset Equine Rescue

A non-profit horse rescue in Southern Vermont

Ivessa

Ivessa standing

Ivessa is a beautiful 16-year-old Friesian mare who stands approximately 16 hands tall. She was rescued from a terrible neglect and hoarding situation.

When Ivessa arrived in June 2025, she was suffering from a severe hoof infection that had progressed into her coffin bone. After surgery, extensive stall rest, and countless medical hoof-plate and bandage changes, Ivessa showed us just how resilient she is and made a remarkable recovery.

Ivessa does have allergies to insects, so during bug season, most of her skin needs to remain covered. She also receives supplements to support her skin health—and she certainly appreciates grooming and bath time!

She is a very sweet mare who is easy to work with. However, due to an old injury and the lasting damage to her coffin bone, Ivessa cannot be ridden. She can participate in some liberty work, which would be a wonderful activity for her.

Ivessa is searching for a loving home where she can be a non-riding companion horse. Might you be her special someone and give her the home she has always dreamed of?

If you are interested in Ivessa, please review our adoption requirements and complete an adoption application. We will then arrange a time to speak with you in detail about Ivessa and schedule a visit for you to meet her.

Adoption fee: $1,000

Ivessa in group at fence

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